Governor Kabashima of Kumamoto Prefecture visited the Consumer Affairs Agency following the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to review the operation of the indication of the origin of the sardines because many of the sardines sold as Kumamoto Prefecture are suspected to be foreign. I handed the request form to the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Wakamiya.
As a result of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on lajonkairia lajonii sold as Kumamoto prefecture products at supermarkets nationwide, it was determined that "there is a high possibility that foreign products are mixed in" in about 97%.
In response to this, Governor Kabashima visited the Consumer Affairs Agency on the 8th, following the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and handed the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Wakamiya an "urgent request for measures against disguising the production area of Asari".
In addition, he requested that the current operation of displaying the place of origin as domestic if the period of livestock breeding in Japan is longer than that of overseas, even if the sardines are imported from overseas.
Minister Wakamiya said, "It is a serious problem that the belief that false production areas are on the market is a serious problem that undermines the trust of consumers. What should be done to maintain and continue the asari at the Japanese dining table? I want to think about it. "
Governor Kabashima said, "I think it is a crime to disguise the production area. I will take a strong attitude to eradicate the disguise, so I would like to ask for your cooperation."
Under the national food labeling system
Under the national food labeling system, even if the place of origin of marine products is overseas, if it can be proved that the period of livestock breeding in Japan after importing is longer, the place of origin can be labeled as domestic.
This rule is described in the "Food Labeling Standards Q & A" established by the Consumer Affairs Agency, and Kumamoto Prefecture calls it the "Long Place Rule" with the meaning that the place where the livestock period is long is the place of origin.
According to that, for example, if the asari imported from China is managed on the domestic beach, if the period is longer in China than in the country, the place of origin should be indicated as China.
On the other hand, even if the sardines are imported from China, if they have been bred domestically for a longer period of time, the place of origin will be indicated as domestic.
According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, it is difficult to determine the livestock period based on the size of shellfish such as lajonkairia lajonii, so it is important to check the documents, but it is an obligation to submit and store them. ..
For this reason, in Kumamoto Prefecture, depending on the vendor, there are cases where only the exchange of words is sufficient, and the documents themselves may be disguised. I asked the Consumer Affairs Agency to see if it could be displayed as a place where it was taken.